This blog adds to the three-book series, Rackets, which advocates the legalization of drugs & gambling, and prostitution. Brian Saady's work shines a light on legal "rackets," i.e. crony capitalism, and the government "racketeers" that pose as the solution for problems caused by the government. You'll see that our political and criminal justice systems are inadvertently designed to fail...like rackets.

Monday, March 5, 2018

Without a Hint of Irony, Former CIA Director’s Podcast Discusses Solutions for the Opioid Crisis

Michael Morell, former CIA Director, hosts a podcast “Intelligence
Matters.” He recently had a very inspiring guest on his show,
retired U.S. Navy Admiral James “Sandy” Winnefeld.

Winnefeld’s son died of an
overdose from fentanyl-laced heroin. After his son’s death, Winnefeld has dedicated a tremendous
amount of effort to find solutions for the opioid crisis. In fact, he formed a
non-profit group dedicated to this cause, Stop
the Addiction Fatality Epidemic (SAFE).

Overall, I strongly agree with most of Winnefeld’s strategies.
During this podcast, he brought up several points that most of America views as
highly controversial. For instance, he advocated for safe injection sites.
Although this concept is controversial in the U.S., several countries have
hosted these types of facilities which have proven to be a highly-effective
form of harm reduction.

Every one of these facilities are staffed by health
professionals equipped with the opioid-overdose-reversal drug, naloxone. There
have been several overdoses in these facilities, but there has never been an overdose death. Furthermore,
safe injection sites are a major boost to public health by providing clean
needles, thus reducing HIV and Hepatitis. One study concluded that the city of
San Francisco would save $3.5
million in public costs.

Hence, although this concept is highly stigmatized,
Winnefeld stated during the podcast that he wished these facilities had been
legal in the U.S. while his son was still alive. If so, he may still be alive.

Winnefeld brought up other very important points. In
particular, the vast majority of drug arrests are for possession, not
trafficking. In addition, a large percentage of those charged with trafficking
are merely supporting their habit.

However, Winnefeld and I disagree on the extent of
decriminalization. I support the full decriminalization (and eventually the
legalization) of drugs, not just the users. Nonetheless, Winnefeld offered a great deal of insight
during this podcast, which is worth a listen.

However, I would be remiss to not
point out the irony of a former CIA Director commenting on evidence-based solutions for the
opioid crisis.

U.S. Marines in an opium field in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. (Wikimedia Commons)

If you’re not familiar with the CIA’s extensive complicity
with drug trafficking, there are several research resources available. However,
there’s also a tremendous amount of speculation and disinformation on this topic.
With that said, if you’re interested in reading about this issue, my first
book, The
Drug War: A Trillion Dollar Con Game, goes into great detail with
extensive documentation.